This was a rescheduled match from the sixteenth round of La Liga.
Because Real Madrid had traveled to Morocco to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in mid-December, their home match against Sevilla in the sixteenth round of La Liga had to be postponed until early February. This made Real Madrid's already-tight schedule, with the team competing on three fronts, even more congested.
It could be said that ever since the start of the season, aside from taking a week off during the Christmas period, Real Madrid had basically played twice a week the entire time. The schedule had also been extremely packed, placing tremendous pressure on the team.
After the winter break, the hidden dangers brought about by the congested schedule quickly erupted.
In the eighth minute, Ramos sat down on the grass, clutching his left thigh with a pained expression. The team doctor quickly came onto the field to examine him and signaled to Head Coach Ancelotti on the sidelines to make a substitution.
Substitute Nacho replaced Ramos, forcing Real Madrid to make a substitution as early as the eighth minute.
In the twelfth minute, Marcelo crossed from the left. James Rodríguez, who had successfully beaten the offside trap, threw himself forward at the edge of the six-yard box and headed the ball into the net, opening the scoring for Real Madrid.
After the deadlock was broken, the match opened up. Both teams played freely, and the pace was fast.
But in the twenty-seventh minute, James Rodríguez was injured as well. Unable to continue, he signaled to the coaching staff on the sidelines that he had to be substituted. Youngster Jesé was brought on in his place.
In less than half an hour, Real Madrid had made two substitutions, and both players had basically been injured without